Magnus's POV The atmosphere in the executive floor of Shadowbane Tower had gone rigid-thick enough that even lesser wolves struggled to breathe. The high-level team stood frozen in my office, not daring to twitch. Some idiot had delivered a flawed proposal directly onto my desk, and the moment I unfolded it, the errors leapt off the page like rot. I'd torn into them without mercy. They deserved it. Now the entire room reeked of fear-cold sweat, submissive pheromones, the sharp tang of impending doom. All of them simultaneously grieving the high bonuses they were certain they'd just lost. Just as the tension was about to snap-my phone lit up on the desk. Jackson, standing nearest, glanced at it unintentionally and cleared his throat. "Uh-Alpha... it seems to be Miss Aysel." My hand stilled. I picked up the phone. First second: A stunned pause. My expression darkened. I almost didn't believe what I was reading. Second second: The shock burned off and understanding settled. A slow, sharp curve tugged at my lips. Rafe, my wolf, lifted his head with interest. "‘Am I incapable?' Really, little rose?" I typed back: "If you wanted to know whether I'm capable, you could've asked while you were sober. You covet my body, I can let you experience it yourself.But drunk little gremlins and dirty pups don't exactly inspire desire." Buried in her blankets, she must have exploded. Her reply popped up instantly: "What do you mean drunk gremlin and dirty pup! You're clean-cleanest in the entire world, you trash-picking Alpha!" I huffed a laugh-quiet, genuine. The corner of my mouth lifted further. I waved my hand toward the door, signaling everyone to get out. The executives didn't move at first, still stunned from the earlier scolding. Jackson reacted quickly, tugging them toward the exit. Behind him, confusion and disbelief spread like wildfire. "...Wait, we're... dismissed? Just like that?" Jackson shrugged. "Alpha Magnus isn't pursuing it further. But never let this kind of mistake happen again." The others staggered away as if blessed by the moon goddess herself. Somewhere down the hall, someone whispered: "Did the Alpha's mood change after he saw that message? Who was Miss Vale again? One of the Sanchez cousins?" Jackson only smiled, smug as a fox. "This Aysel is not that Aysel." He left them bewildered and trailing behind him. If they knew who she was to me, they'd faint. Back in my office, I returned to teasing my little rose. I typed with deliberate slowness: "No one told you that barbecue and alcohol don't mix well with kissing?" Her reaction was instant, fiery. "You brushed my teeth!"I chuckled. "Sorry, I didn't know you were that impatient." "Magnus Sanchez!!! You're the impatient one! You're the thirsty one!" "Mm. I am," I admitted, smiling to myself. She sputtered even harder. "Hmph! You're just hiding behind your neat-freak excuses because you KNOW you're incapable! I can see right through you! Just wait-one day I'll roll in the mud and you'll be begging me to kiss you!" She was furious-completely nonsensical and adorable. And I... I couldn't stop the laughter. Ever since she moved into my place-ever since I used Daron's excuse to share a bed-our relationship had been caught in a strange, delicate in-between. We weren't intimate. Not properly. Not truly. We never shared real kisses-only brushed cheeks, soft neck touches, an accidental brush of lips at most. But every morning, I woke with her limbs tangled around mine, our bodies molded together, our wolves comfortable enough to treat each other as home. My fingers drifted across her contact profile on my screen-the little avatar labeled "Little Rose." Do I want her? Yes. But not like before. Not in the primal, straightforward way an Alpha desires a willing, biting, playful she-wolf. Somewhere along the way, something shifted. I wanted more than her curiosity.More than her playful greed for warmth and touch. I wanted her emotions to burn hot when she reached for me. Wanted her kisses laced with intent, not drunken whimsy. Wanted something deeper than instinct. I didn't know what this change meant. But we promised to be long-term partners-unsevered, unparted. So I'd wait. Until she was fully present with me-mind, wolf, and heart. Not that I was begging for her affection. I wasn't that pathetic. But things too easily won tend to be taken lightly. Aysel Vale, however... she was anything but reserved. I hesitated for a moment, then typed: "Want a taste tonight?" Her reply was immediate: "GET LOST!" My chest rumbled with quiet laughter. "Last night's performance of The Tide Rising was beautiful," I added. "And so were you." Her response came, grudging yet pleased: "At least you've got eyes." I laughed out loud this time. My little rose. So sharp.So impossible. So endlessly, devastatingly adorable.